Cultivator



5 Sheets-Sheet 1 wf/vrom pm A TTR/VEYS.

Nov. 6, 1928.

. y'r-z. A. scHuMAcHER Er A1.

CULTIVATOR Filed oct. 11, 192e Nov. 6, -1 928.

E. A. scHUMACHER `E1' AL CULTIVATOR Filed Oct. l1, 1923 5 Sheets-Sheet 2Afp/swim yPatented Nov. 6i, y UNITED STA L 1,690,252 Tiss Nrafren-'rorFicE.

, f ERNnsrnscHuinnoi-IER AND HARRY E.. wEss'LiNG, or CINCINNATI, oHio; I

CULTIVATOR.

Appiieanoniiied october 1i, 192e. seriai No.seance.4

VOur invention` relates to land .cultivating devices in which a rotaryelement is employed to accomplish the joint resnltsof a gangplow, and adisk harrow, at one and the same time. In its simpler embodiment ourdevice is built as a tractor drawn element.l Y

XVe are aware that it has been proposed by` various `persons tocultivate the earth by a rotary drum device or chain druindevice havingblades therein` to stir `up ythe ground, and pulverize it at the sametime, but so tar as ive lare advised these devices have not gone intouse either `through inoperativeness or the eX- cessive expense attendantupontlieir construcf tion and locomotion. `i l It is our object toprovide a device in which the :parts are simpleof construction, and welladapted to .self clearing of clods of earth dislodged. It is our objectto use instead of a drum, a series otthin disks which themselveshave/the action ofciitting upthe earth that is dislodged by the diggingblades.

Counter to what we understand liasbeeii the scheme of theproposeddevices above referred to, itfis` ourobject'to "provide `a rotary bladestructure which revolves in theopposite direction to the movement ofthe' tractor element and carrying wheels. Itis our obj ect in ourarrangement toniaintain a deflecting position of allblades so that theyyentertheground and `leave it with one corner first, thereby making thedigging operation easier. It. is also our object to stagger the variousblade positions so `as to avoid the chance oi earth falling from one setof blades, becoming imprisoned and factiiig to clog another set.

Essentially it is. our` object to maintain an open space beneath allblades, as distinguished from a drum, or a set of chain carrying drums,thereby facilitating the self-freeing' action et' the device, fromadhering clods of earth or sod. f Among otherv things we also -wisli tonote that by the counter direction of revolution between the carryingwheels and the digging element, we insure the device against the dig`ging element riding on the top of the ground, and provide for asuccessive action of a series of blades upon theV dislodged earth,rather than requiring each bladerto enterinto the virgin soil. In otherwords, the blades of our device do not encounter the untreated grounduntil they are about tof move upwardly, instead of asvthey movedownwardly into the ground.

v The above objects and other advantages to n be noted,we accomplish bythat certain construction and arrangement of parts to be. hereinafterinorespecitic'ally pointedout and claimed.

In the drawings: A y Figure ,1: `is a' perspective view of the completedevice.

Figure 2 is aside elevation showing the drive, an d the earth diggingelements. Figure lisa top plaiiview of the complete device.` g i YThestructurev shown in the drawings is merely apictorial illustration ofthe type of mechanism involved `and the exact! propor-` tions 'ot partshave .been arranged for convenience of illustration rather than tosliowthe exact proportions for the machine, since this will depend upon thesize desired, and the depth of cultivation, and to someextcnt on Y thenature of the soil involved.

Essentially the machine comprises a pair ofcarrying wheels 1,1, onanaxle 2 which axle. is ]ournaled ,in a `traine 3, said frame inf ocludifnga diawyoke to be secured tolaiiy desiredtractor machine orvehicle.

On `the axle andrevolving therewith are a pairof gears 5, 5, which drivethe digging dcvices, tliese gears meshing with gears 6, t, Vcarriedonthe frame it, which is also `j ournaled onthe axle 2, whencethesegears 6, 6,. move in a planetary manner, about lthe gears 5,y 5. Thespindles of the gears 6, 6, Vcarry chain sprockets 7, 7, saidlsprocketshaving chains 8, 8, thereon.V y y Y In the i'ejar ofthe.frameportion 4Lisa shaft 9, 4which carries two sprockets l0, 10, `the chains 8drivingtliese two sprockets, and hence driving the shaft 9. v

Un the tivo ends oi the shaft 9 are joui# naled brackets ll, whichsupport small can rying wheels l2, l2. The brackets are connected byrods i3, with cranks le on a .tor-

titl

and thereby rock the brackets ll, and thrust o the wheels l2 down towardthe ground so as to litt away the digging devices (to` be do scribed)and permit the machine tobe drawn along into it.

The portion of themechanisin so far dea roadwa or field Without dimrinoV en a llO driven shaft, this shaft revolving in the opposite directionto the carrying wheels.

The digging devices form the essential novelty of our invention, so faras this appli cation is concerned.

These devices are formed by a series of relatively thin disks of metal20, arranged along the shaft 9, preferably closely interspaced from eachother. These disks are shown as plain disks in the drawings, althoughthey might be dished or canted and might have open work therein, ifdesired, which will be evident without illustration.

In the peripheries of the disks are sets of inserted digging blades 2l,These blades are preferably set at a slant to both the horizontal andthe vertical plane of the shaft 9, in the form of device illustrated,and are staggered in alternate disks, so that when a set of the disksare arranged on the shaft, no two blades will be along side of eachother, and so that the corners of the blades will enter the groundfirst, during the digging operation instead of the whole width ot' theblade entering the ground. Also the blades are ar anged so that theytend to throw the earth to one side or the other of the line 0f pull ofthe machine in alternate disks.

Since the shaft 9 revolves in the opposite direction to the carryingwheels, the operai tion of the machine will be that after being startedup, the cuts into virgin earth by the blades on the disks will takeplace on the upward motion of said blades and not the downward motion,and any earth dislodged by the cutting action will be acted on by theblades as they move on the downward half of their underground levelmovement.

This action will tend to pull the digging device down into the earth andavoid the tendency for it to rise over the particularly hard points in afield. Also the action will tend to cut up in very line condition theearth that is dislodged, and it will also tend to move to the surfacethe underneath earth. and then chop it up with the surface earth. Thecounteracting effect of the blades will tend to thoroughly agitato theearth dislodged, and since the blades are staggered and considerablywider than the disks are thick, there will be plenty of space betweenthe disks for earth picked u by the blades to fall back between the disis, as the machine is in operation.

The disks themselves have the action of slicing up the earth that ispicked up by the blades, somewhat as the disks of a land roller or diskharrow operate, again assuring ineness of the cultivated earth andfreedom from clogging of the machine.

The absence of any drum, or belt, which would prevent free falling ofthe earth is oi great value in our machine, in addition to thecultivating action of the blade carrying disks themselves.

The depth of cut of the machine can he controlled by positioning therear carrying wheels. This is done by means of a lever 22. on the shaftl5, which operates the mechanism for `aising and lowering the saidwheels, and this lever is held in adjusted position by a notched segment23, engaging the usual dog device, (not shown) by means of which suchlevers are held in various positions.

Thus it will be evident that the various elements of our diggingmechanism, particularly in view of the reverse system of rotation of thedigging element, will act upon the earth in a very etiicient manner,accomplishing the work of the plow, harrowr and land roller, all in one.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

In a rotary soil treating tool, a shaft, discs mounted thereon, saiddiscs having interspaced spading blades arranged in alternate angularposition with relation to the axes of said discs, said blades extendingfrom the outer peripheries of said discs for the purposes described.

HARRY E. VESSLING. ERNEST A. SCHUACHER.

